Abstract:
Interpretation is a foundational aspect of human cognition as it entails the act of (re)assigning
meaning to utterances, objects, events, etc. In the field of literature, theories of criticism have devoted
a great deal of attention and effort to explore the most efficient ways of approaching texts and
extracting their meanings. Despite the plethora of scholarly publications and academic traning,
offering a wealth of knowledge, undergraduate students oftrn seem in need of further broadening
their interpretive capacities. Hence, it remains necessary to readdress the issue of variety and change
in terms of the perspectives and methods employed in analysis and critique. By tracing the main
turning points in the conceptualisation of literary interpretation, from the medieval age to the
contemporary era, the present paper attempts to provide a simplified account of its evolution while
emphasizing its dynamic nature. Several alterations, in the view and practice of interpretation,
occured as a result of changing intellectual and sociopolitical circumstances. Understanding that
each of the mutations re-define and re-appropriate the position of the interpreter vis-à-vis the literary
text is an important step in the students’ development of their own interpretive horizons
